A candidate for Fine Gael in the general election says she is not concerned by the number of the party's TDs who are not running for a Dáil seat.
Keira Keogh is standing in Mayo in place of outgoing TD Michael Ring, who is one of a number of experienced TDs not running on Friday.
Ms Keogh ran in the local elections back in June, and says Fine Gael being on the Yes side of the repeal and marriage equality referendums was key to her joining the party.
Speaking to Breakingnews.ie, she says there is no reason to be concerned by the number of new candidates in the election.
"I think from the outset, when you look at it, there must be an exodus and there must be big problems, but when you get to know the people personally, I see Michael and I know he really debated staying or going for another term.
"Then you look at Heather Humphreys; her announcement was quite late.
"I have also listened to Simon Coveney, who launched Alan Dillon's campaign, and he also said it was a very tricky decision, but I think I made the right decision.
"I don't think there was any big scandal here. When you look at the years of service they have all given, it makes sense."
As of writing, the latest poll shows Fine Gael dropping behind Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil.
The latest setback for Fine Gael in this campaign came as Simon Harris had an encounter with a care worker in Cork.
The Taoiseach spoke to Charlotte Fallon, a disability worker with St Joseph’s Foundation, where she told him carers “were ignored” and the Government has “done nothing for us”.
Mr Harris responds by saying: “No, not at all”, and “that’s not true”, several times before shaking her hand, in a clip which has gone viral.
Ms Keogh says she has sympathy for the Taoiseach over the incident, and defended him on his record with disability services.
"I feel very sorry for him that it happened over disability, because it is the single thing he is most passionate about.
"It is why he got into politics, it is why I admire him so much. He has been working harder than anybody in the last seven months, perhaps a tired moment after a long day.
"I am very proud of him that he had the courage to publicly apologise, admit he was wrong, and call Charlotte.
"I hope people can see his career, rather than a bad moment after a very long seven months."
Fine Gael are running four candidates in the five-seat constituency of Mayo. Alongside Ms Keogh is current TD Alan Dillon, councillor Mark Duffy and Martina Jennings.
Ms Keogh believes the party has a chance of getting three seats, and says she is not paying too much attention to polls.
"For me, if I focused on polls, I would have been devastated in the beginning, because I was seen as a no-hoper and an unknown candidate. Now they have me in sixth place for five seats.
"I think if you focus too much on the polls and let it sway how you are feeling, it is a recipe for disaster.
"I think we have a real chance of getting five seats at the moment. What we were saying was on a good day we would get two, in a great day we would get three and on a historical day we would get four.
"I think if you take out the map, and you look at Mayo, and the length and breadth of the constituency is so wide, there is a really nice spread of candidates.
"I'm hopeful my odds will be in my favour, and I can get out of sixth and into fifth place."
